The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) agreed to develop a new series of joint activities in Saudi Arabia. Proposed joint projects are the development of a “Waqf Fund” and the “100 Arabic Books on Conservation”, aiming to strengthen IUCN’s regional support to the environment in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world. …

African lion. Photo by Sue MainkaIUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland (27.10.2005) - The conservation status of the African lion, for many the very symbol of the continent’s wildlife, is giving cause for serious concern. It was classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2004 due to a continuing decline in population, with current numbers estimated at 23,000-39,000. In West Africa, lions number fewer than 1,500 and meet the criteria for regionally Endangered. …

IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland, 7 October 2005 - A grant from the Sir Peter Scott Fund for Conservation Action of IUCN’s Species Survival Commission (SSC) is helping to continue the early conservation successes in the fight to save the Anegada iguana, listed as “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. …

Fair Trade Jordan will kick off this Friday, September 23 with over 80 producers showcasing their products at the one-day market place for goods, ideas and shopping at Wild Jordan Nature Center in Jabal Amman. The World Conservation Union’s Regional Office in Jordan is one of the organizers of the event, sponsored by the Enhanced Productivity Program of the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation. …

IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland (15.09.2005) - The World Conservation Union is to conduct its first specific assessment of Europe's approximately 281 mammal species. They include a high number of threatened endemic species, amongst them the most endangered big cat in the world - the Iberian lynx. …

IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland, 23 August 2005 - The last few years have seen a welcome turn around in the fortunes of the Seychelles white-eye, thanks to the success of the Seychelles white-eye Recovery Programme, involving Dr Gérard Rocamora, a member of SSC’s Reintroduction Specialist Group, other conservation organisations and local partners. …

Tales of Water - A Child’s View tells the exciting story of the many challenges facing water management through the eyes of children. This multimedia project is coordinated and managed by The World Conservation Union and undertaken by the Tales of Water Foundation. It focuses on rural children living in river basins in Jordan, Tanzania, the Mekong Basin, the Niger Basin, and Mexico/Guatemala. …

IUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland (23.06.2005) - Although coral reef fishes enjoy a great deal of interest around the world, little is known about the conservation status of most of them. Concerns are increasingly being raised about the impacts on these species of coral bleaching, as compounded by fishing and other pressures on coral reefs. Currently, only a small number of coral reef fish species are listed on The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but the number that are threatened is believed to be much higher. …

Dead harbor porpoise tangled in a net - Photo: WWFIUCN - The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland (16.06.2005) - Eleven of the world’s leading marine scientists, all members of the Species Survival Commission’s Cetacean Specialist Group, have for the first time assessed dolphin and porpoise populations around the world which are severely threatened by entanglement in fishing gear. …